Younker pleased with Crusaders’ performance
Kensington team posts very respectable record in Edmonton
“I’m extremely proud of how we played. At no point during the tournament did it look like we didn’t belong. We were probably the only team there in which all of the players were from one school.” Crusaders head coach Richard Younker
Kensington Crusaders head coach Richard Younker was pleased with his team’s performance on the national stage.
The Crusaders, comprised entirely of players from Kensington Intermediate-Senior High School, posted a very respectable overall record of 3-4 at the recent Volleyball Canada national championships in Edmonton.
“I’m extremely proud of how we played,” said Younker. “At no point during the tournament did it look like we didn’t belong.
“We were probably the only team there in which all of the players were from one school.”
The Crusaders, who were competing in 18-under Division 3 and played teams from Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan, went 1-2 in preliminary-round play, and 2-1 in power pools, which is the tiering of teams, and lost their lone playoff match in the Tier 4 quarter-finals.
“We fought very hard every match,” said Younker. “Five of the seven matches we played went three sets (including the quarter-final).”
The Crusaders, who are the same team that won the 2017 P.E.I. School Athletic Association Senior AAA Girls Volleyball League championship in November, went 2-3 in the matches that went the distance.
“The girls represented KISH and P.E.I. very well,” added Younker.
“They should be very proud of themselves.”
Younker also pointed out the efforts and work the parents of the Crusaders’ players put in to make the trip to nationals possible.
“The team would like to thank all of the work that the parents put into organizing this opportunity,” said Younker. “Countless hours went into planning and fundraising this once-ina-lifetime trip. Without their support, this couldn’t have happened.”